


The Monsters in Us All

by IvoryOwl



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blood and Gore, Chara being a fucking CREEP, Drama, Fluff and Angst, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Kinda messed up...., Multi, Other, Post-Pacifist Route, Psychological Drama, Revenge, multiple resets before!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-02-18
Packaged: 2018-05-19 05:29:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5955415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvoryOwl/pseuds/IvoryOwl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone has their secrets, their deep, dark fears that they never want to bring to the light of day. After all, hasn't everyone tried their best to break the barrier, to get the good ending? What if, even after all of that, you still couldn't get it right?<br/>What if, your secrets, your darkest fears still followed you even now?</p><p>Frisk and the monsters find an abandoned village on the outskirts of Mt Ebott and claim it as their new home. But all is not what it seems in this convenient sanctuary. Who were the previous residents? Why does the air feel heavy with the remnants of magic?</p><p>Forgive me, I am not the best at summaries... that and I don't want to spoil everything I have planned for this... ;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Rebirth

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so, I LOVE THIS GAME! Ohmygosh! I've never had such passion like this before! I normally just doodle but... I felt I needed to actually write something for this fandom!
> 
>  I will be trying to update once or twice a week. Buckle in, cause this is gonna be a LONG, BUMPY, RIDE!
> 
> Critique welcomed. This is my first attempt at writing anything so, please be gentle and enjoy!! :>

You took a breath. For the first time in what seemed like a millennia you felt the crisp, refreshing air of Mt. Ebott from the surface. Your lips quivered with the sharp intake of cold air and your eyes watered, leaving small trails down the sides of your cheeks. The monster world was saved, everyone had made it to the surface, you had redeemed yourself for your mistakes.

 _I can’t believe we’re here again_ , you thought. You turned your gaze downward, trying to hide your void expression from your friends. You had been in this exact same spot once before… before you RESET, before she made you… You shook the thought from your mind.

 _None of that matters now… We’re here. We made it!_ You trembled slightly at the thought. You buried your failures down a long line of resets. You had tried your best to make up for what you had done, but the thoughts of your blood stained hands, the fear in your friend's eyes as the life drained from their faces, Chara, they all still haunted your mind. Nothing would ever make those memories go away.. you only hoped that her distant voice in the back of your mind would fade as you got away from Mt. Ebott.

As you stood there looking across the vastness that lay before you, the setting sun kissing your cheeks in a welcoming embrace, the quiet awe of your beloved friends murmuring beside you; something was bothering you. Something was wrong. You had been here once before, but after so many resets, so many timelines ended, what were you missing?

Toriel placed gentle paw on your shoulder that shook you from your thoughts. Your friends had long since left the cliffside and returned underground for the remainder of the evening. You looked up and saw her warm smile, her eyes on the verge of tears. You grabbed her paw and smiled softly.

“What will you do now, my child? Surely you have someplace to go back to? A family perhaps?” she kneeled down, holding on to your small hands. Her brows furrowed in concern, she cared so deeply for you, and in the short few months you had lived with her she have become more of a mother to you than you could ever imagine. You pushed her hands away and wrapped your arms around her torso, cradling your head in the crook of her neck.

“With you… I want to stay with you.” you mumbled, your words getting caught in your throat.

Toriel blinked in shock of your gesture, a few stray tears trickled down her face. She was so happy to hear your voice and feel the warmth of your loving embrace. She left out a sigh of relief, and pulled your small frame in closer. She had missed you so much and had been so scared of losing you again. She stroked your hair softly and stood up, scooping your small body in her arms as she did, holding you on her hip.

“If that is what you wish, my child, I will gladly keep you company and care for you as long as you will have me.” she gently nuzzled your face, her face beaming with happiness. She carried you back to the opening to the underground. You let out another sigh, realizing just how tired you were.. You closed your eyes and drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow would be a big day for everyone and you knew you needed to rest. You would figure out what you had forgotten in the morning.

Toriel placed you in bed and kissed your forehead. She sat with you for a short while, whispering sweet nothings and gushing about how proud she was of you. She left for a brief moment, only to return with a slice of her wonderful butterscotch and cinnamon pie, freshly baked. She placed it gingerly on the floor beside your bed where you would see it when you woke. A soft “Good night, Frisk” left her lips before she closed the door quietly behind her.

* * *

 

“How are they?” Asgore whispered, concern in his tired eyes.

“Fine; just tired.” Toriel sighed. “How such a small child could accomplish so much is beyond me.” She clasped her hands together, trying to calm her nerves.

The day had been hard on everyone but none more than Frisk. The two walked down the corridor towards the sitting room where everyone was gathered.

“IS THE HUMAN ALRIGHT LADY TORIEL?” Papyrus exclaimed, jumping up from his seated position on the floor.

“Ah, the punk is just tired after a good fight!” Undyne smirked, giving Paps a good slap on the back.

The group had been talking amongst themselves and devouring slices of Toriel’s pie. The fact that they had managed to keep their voices quiet enough to not stir Frisk was a feat. The group had been swapping stories of how they met the young human, and laughing at the grand adventure.

Sans had been sitting in the chair watching the others in silent amusement. He kept to himself for the majority of the night, trying to settle the pit in his stomach. Something gnawed at the back of his mind but he couldn’t figure out what. He played with the crumbs on his plate, mushing them with a fork over and over, deep in thought. Suddenly, he jolted upright, startling poor Toriel in the process. He looked at her with wide sockets, realizing that she had been tapping him on the shoulder.

“I, umm, are you finished with that?” She murmured. Sans settled down in the chair again and nodded, handing the empty plate to her. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Is… is something on your mind?” She kneeled down and placed a gentle paw on his knee.

“eh… i think i’m just bein’ a bit of a _numbskull_ ” He chuckled dryly, a strained smile on his face. “this is all just a lot to take in I suppose.” He scratched the back of his skull awkwardly, trying to avoid her gaze.

“Well, if there’s anything I can do please let me know.” Toriel chirped, “I just don’t want to see any _skulking_ tomorrow when we all head out.” She chuckled, heading into the kitchen to clean up.

The rest of the night was fairly quiet. Sans murmured a few more puns now and then, trying to participate in the casual conversation. Before long, he and the others drifted off to sleep, finding their own places to rest around the large house.

* * *

 

 _Don’t_ _worry about me. Someone has to take care of these flowers…_

Your eyes shot open. In a panic you sat upright, clutching the sheets, breathing intensely. Your whole back was soaking with sweat. How could you forget? “Asriel...” You whispered, choking back tears. In a flash you had your shoes on and were bolting down the corridor. Sans… you needed to find him; luckily enough he was propped up in a chair in the main room. “SANS” you cried. You grabbed his shoulders and shook him. “Help, we need to go!”

His eyes shot open like he hadn’t even been sleeping. “where?” He said, his voice stern and concerned.

“The Ruins, where I fell-” Before you finished your sentence he had picked you up in his arms and was racing down the hallway.

“Frisk and I will be back!” he hollered, making sure the whole house heard.

Toriel opened the door and cried out “Sans! Where are you-”

“we’ll be back!” He shouted, still running. The two of you had reached the judgement hall in seconds through a series of quick bursts. Sans was breathing heavy, but his grip never faltered. He held you tightly against his chest, a sudden sly smile broke out on his face. “hold on!” he said, breathing heavy. “i’m gonna need a little momentum to get there in one jump.”

You gripped tighter on his jacket, not entirely sure of what that meant, but you trusted him nonetheless.

“cover your face!” He shouted, pulling his hood down over his face. He swerved to the right and jumped.

CRASH!

Pieces of glass and glowing blue flames encircled you as you opened your eyes and looked out. Sans’ eye was glowing brighter than you had ever seen before, an entire side of his face taken over by the blue aura that emerged from his eye socket. Your stomach felt like it was rising into your throat and you clutched tighter to Sans’ jacket. You looked down, the Capital… the Capital was beneath you... _Oh My God_.

“SANS” you screamed, looking at him in terror.

“don’t tell me you’re _fallin_ ’ for me kid!” he shouted, making sure you heard him over your screaming. He winked and gave you the smuggest grin you had ever seen in your life. That complete and utter ….. The flames engulfed the two of you as you felt the magic pull your soul.

  
You could only hear the sound of your own heartbeat and your entire body clenched onto the skeleton. “hey, we’re here…” Sans whispered, jostling you in his arms. He set you down gently. You looking around and stumbled a bit, still shaky from the landing.

The cavern looked so much smaller than you remember. Your eyes traced the edges of the ceiling until you glanced at the hole you fell through, the moonlight softly peeking through. You looked down at the patch of flowers. A small white creature lay crumpled on the ground. “There!” you stammered. You ran as fast as your tired legs would carry you to the patch of golden flowers. “Asriel… You’re still here!” You cried, hugging the small furry child lying in the flowers before you.

Asriel opened his eyes weakly.“Frisk? Why are you...”

“I don’t know how, but I will save you! I promise!” Tears trickled down your face. “You don’t have to be alone…you don’t have to...”

“Thank you Frisk…. For being my friend, even if it was only for a little while...” He mumbled softly. The light in his eyes faded with each tear that slides across his cheeks. He placed a paw on your hand and squeezed it, smiling slightly. You tried to cup his hand between yours but his fingers started to fade. You shut your eyes tightly and squeezed his hand as hard as you could. The familiar sound of dust brushed against your ears as you cried, curling yourself tightly around Asriel’s sweater.

Sans watched silently behind you, not sure what to do. You turned your head to look at him, your face in pure anguish. If he had a heart it would be breaking at the sight of you in this state. Instead, he ran to you and slid into a hug, holding your small frame as tightly as he could with one arm and holding your head with the other. He stroked your hair, letting you sob quietly into his jacket. After a few moments he opened his eyes. “Frisk, look…” he whispered, loosening his grip on you as you both turn to face the patch of flowers.

The dust shifted slowly, seeping into the ground; from the large pile, a golden flower emerged. It was...sleeping? “is that?” his mouth hung open.

“Yeah, Asriel.” You sighed. You cupped the face of the flower in your hands. “I’ll save you. I promise.”

Your thumb brushed against his cheek as you let the flower slip between your fingers. You breathed a heavy sigh and stumbled up. Sans watched you for a moment before following suit. “We should go before he wakes up” you ordered, turning your back quickly to the flower patch.

Sans stepped toward you, “kid, I don’t know-”

“I don’t know what to do!” You screamed, buckling to the ground. “I don’t know how to save him! I just… I…” You slammed your palms to the ground, digging your nails into the dirt.

“kid, listen…” He knelt down beside you, resting his skull against your back.

“RESET….” Your eyes lit up. “yeah… I’ll just RESET!”

Sans grabbed your shoulders, holding you in place. “kid, DON'T!” His grip tightened as you attempted to stand. “i don’t know what’s goin’ on but if you let me-”

“Chara,” you whispered. “Chara can help me. Maybe we can save him together! After all, she's stronger than me!” You giggled sickeningly. Your eyes flickering slightly as you mentally reached out to her.

A shiver shook Sans’ spine. “no, don’t you DARE kid!” He growled, flipping you on your back, his eye glowing wildly in anger. “don’t you dare RESET on me again! you and I BOTH know how well that turns out!” The anger in his eyes shifted to pure sadness. Tears welled in his eyes. You watched him slowly, your madness fading into fear and anguish. He let his head fall to your chest with a sigh. “don’t do this to me kid. whatever it is, I can help you.”

“You promise?” You choked, trying to hold back more tears. A small smile forming on your face.

“Yeah, kiddo. Of course!” he shakily chuckled, lifting his head to meet your gaze. He rested his forehead against yours as the two of you sighed. “we’ll figure this out, don’t you worry.” He winked as he pulled you up.

You nodded quietly as the two of you walked towards the Ruins. Sans put his arm around you.

“We have a long walk back, kid. I used almost all of my magic getting us this far.” He sighed and gently rubbed your shoulder “hows about you stop cryin’ tell me what’s goin’ on? or maybe I should just tell you one of my _tear_ -able puns to make you smile?”

You giggled softly and a quiet ‘sorry’ escaped your lips as the two of you walked. You began to explain the complicated situation with Asriel and Flowey; maybe you didn’t have to RESET or have Chara’s power to help Asriel. One could only hope…

A small prickle ran up your spine as the two of you reached the end of the cavern.

“Wait…” you whispered. You grabbed Sans’ hand, still on your shoulder. He turned to look back at the flower patch, eye glowing. “Is someone there?” You hollered, voice cracking. You both paused for a moment.

But nobody came.

“com’on kid, let's head back,” Sans muttered, forcing a big smile “wouldn’t want you to be late on your first day as monster ambassador.” He pushed you gently in front of him and glanced back one more time to the flowerbed, his eye flickering blue and yellow. He couldn’t shake that pit in his stomach but he had bigger things to worry about than a small flower.

The surface was waiting. The two of you picked up the pace, daylight would come soon enough and you both needed your rest.

* * *

 

Silence fell in the room as the hours passed. As the light of the moon faded into the warmth of the sun, the cavern fell prey to an eerie presence.

The freshly bloomed flower in the middle of the bed twitched slightly, stretching its limbs. A sickly cracking noise like breaking bones echoed through the room as the flower deformed, shoving its roots deep into the ground, shattering the large flowerbed into crumbled chunks of rock. An angry light poured out from beneath the rubble, as a bony hand clawed at the flowers, ripping them out of the ground. Each bone dug itself out of the ground bit by bit. As each bone surfaced, a red glow whipped out like tentacles from inside of them, finding the connecting bones and assembling them. The skeletal creature pushed itself to its feet, its joints popping and cracking with each small movement. A dim red light sparked in the creature’s eye sockets functioning as pupils. It looked over at the flower, its hand stretched out gently to softly stroke the flowers petals and unhinged its jaw. “Flowey…” it whispered in a ghostly breath.

Flowey’s eyes flickered open. He had been picked up by the skeletal creature and wrapped his roots around its extended hand. He smiled excitedly. “Chara! I’m so glad you’re here! Now we can-”

CHOMP!

The creature ripped the head of the flower off with its teeth and began grinding the screaming mass of petals to dust. In a rough, choking motion, it swallowed the flower letting its body disintegrate into magical energy. The remaining roots wrapped around the creature’s hand climbed up its arm, stretching themselves to wrap the bones in a thick mucus that hardened around them, creating a velvety skin-like substance. Once the body was completely covered in new skin, the roots climbed to the top of the skull and grew, fingering out into makeshift hair.

It reached down to pick up Asriel’s abandoned sweater and pulled it over its head and newly formed body. A smile swept across its face as its eyes fluttered open. A pair of dimly glowing red pupils dilated, adjusting to the lighting of the room.

“Now we will NEVER be apart.” She giggled, a eager smile crossing her lips. She snapped her fingers, taking her first steps into the Ruins.

GAME SAVED.


	2. Fresh Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group heads out to enjoy a delicious breakfast and explore the mountainside. They come across something that they might be able to make into a home.

You and Sans reached Snowdin fairly quickly. The townspeople were still up and about, celebrating the good news and packing things up. It might be a little preemptive but it was nice to see everyone in high spirits. Sans picked up some essentials for the next day’s trip from his house and met you on the outskirts of town by the river. You had been given a large collection of sweets and drinks for your trip from the villagers. Grillby even gave you a to-go bag of fries, added to Sans’ existing tab. He said he’ll carry the tab with him to the surface, maybe when they got up there Sans would finally pay it off. You chuckled as you grabbed a bottle of ketchup and a drink for yourself and scurried to find the River-person. They seemed happy to give you one last ride before heading to the surface. It was a welcomed mental break from the heavy conversations you and Sans had started.

During the trip you divulged all the information you knew about Asriel and his transformation to Flowey. Sans seemed to take it pretty well but had remained unusually quiet during the remainder of the trip. Afterwards, the two of you made idle chitchat about the surface till your feet gave out. Sans suggested a small break to eat a quick bite before heading back out. Within a few minutes your head softly fell on to Sans’ shoulder. He sighed and smiled weakly. It seemed that even though the two of you had gone through so much… the world still had more work for you to do. He squatted down and managed to get you in a piggyback position without stirring you. The rest of the trip was quiet as Sans carried you and the both of your belongings back to New Home.

Toriel was sitting in the living room when the two of you made it back, nervously trying to read to calm her nerves. She had been up for the majority of the night, trading shifts with Asgore waiting for the two of you to get back. Sans walked in the room, cradling you in his arms.

“Sans!” Toriel gasped. “Are they alright? What happened?!” She jumped up from her seat and approached your limp body cautiously.

“kids fine, just sleepin’” Sans yawned “i’ll tell you about it later. right now I think we should all just get some rest.” He turned to carry you to your room but Toriel grabbed his shoulder.

“What happened? Why did you leave?” She looked ragged, deep bags under her red eyes. She had been crying. She pulled him into a hug, being careful to not squish you between them.

“trust me, we’re all good. frisk just wanted to, uh… how do I put this?” He stammered, trying to figure out how to get away with not explaining everything to an already upset queen. “we went back to the Ruins, they thought they might have left something important behind… not sure exactly what though. i guess it was a false alarm brought on some nightmare?” he shrugged, letting out an exhausted sigh. “kid’s had it pretty rough… so I don't really blame ‘em…” He glanced down at your calm sleeping face and smiled slightly.

“As long as you two are alright, I guess I can leave it at that for now.” She sighed and cupped her cheek. “I don’t know what’s going on but I know you’ll keep them safe.” She patted Sans on the back and headed down the into one of the bedrooms, closing the door quietly behind her. A small conversation took place behind the closed door. She probably went to tell Asgore of their return.

Sans shifted you onto his shoulder and carried you into the bedroom, using just a bit of magic to help organize the sheets before placing you gently on the bed. He covered you up and sat down by your feet. He was exhausted and smelled of dried sweat. He hadn’t used that much magic all at once since... well, he didn’t want to think about that. His mind was numb. You had told him everything you could about Asriel and Chara before you passed out. It helped him put some pieces together about your circumstances and your reasoning for all of the resets but, some part of him still didn’t want to believe that Flowey, er... Asriel would be stuck there, underground, forever. He mulled a few ideas over in his head before letting his skull drop onto his shoulder. He had a slight headache and his eye still twitched and flickered every once in awhile but eventually his eyelids became so heavy he couldn’t fight it anymore. Before he knew it, he had collapsed next to you, snoring softly as the two of you curled around each other, subconsciously trying to comfort the other as you slept.

* * *

 

You found yourself awkwardly pinned to the bed by a bony arm, clenching your torso tightly. “Sans?” You winced, trying to pry yourself from his grip. He was gone to the world, snoring softly and was that drool? Eww… but he had been a big help last night. You guess you could let him off the hook this time.

You slowly worked your hand around his constricted fingers, pulling each one gently until they released their grip. You wriggled your body down underneath his arm, carefully trying not to disturb the slumbering skeleton. Sans had his fair share of problems sleeping without you whacking him as you got out of bed. Once free from Sans’ grasp, you gently rolled him onto his back, positioning him in what should be a much more comfortable position than his previous contorted one. You gave him a quick hug and pulled the covers up to his chin before quietly tiptoeing out of the bedroom and closing the door with a quiet click of the handle.

You walked down the hall towards Asgore’s room, stopping at the room you identified as the same one under renovations at the Ruins. It was somewhat strange how perfectly New Home mimicked the home in the Ruins. You jingled the handle of the door curiously. It was unlocked? Whose room was it? You opened the door cautiously… cracking it only enough to peek through. A pristine white paw grabbed the door, halting your exploration.

“Frisk, dear. I’m so glad you’re awake! Would you care to help me with making breakfast?” Toriel chirped, squeezing her way through the door in front of you. She closed the door quickly behind her and locked it, placing the key in the pocket of her dress.

“Sh...sure.” You stuttered, recovering from the surprise, still not fully conscious in your groggy state. Toriel grabbed your hand and hurriedly lead you towards the kitchen. You glanced back at the door. She probably just slept in the room and didn’t want anyone to see the mess. Though, Toriel only acted this way when she didn’t want you to see anything. After a thought you decided that it wasn’t worth bothering Toriel about at the moment; food sounded much better...

Toriel set you straight to work on scrambling eggs while she attended to some wonderful smelling buttermilk pancakes. Monster food was something you found to be very interesting once you adapted to life underground. They had all sorts of things that one would find on the surface but they were entirely made of some sort of magic or plants that no one ever bothered explaining to you. The only thing that Toriel ever mentioned was that the monsters had to be very creative about food sources once they were locked underground. She said that monster food could be very difficult for humans to digest, since it was magic food being digested with a physical body. She was surprised that you had adapted to the food so quickly, without having any of the sickness that some children had developed after they fell. Curious... Maybe it had something to do with your DETERMINATION?

“WOWIE HUMAN! THAT BREAKFAST SMELLS DELICIOUS!” Papyrus hollered down the hall. He was running at top speed carrying a large basket. Undyne was close behind carrying a frantic Alphys under her arms.

“Pl-please! Put m-me down! I-I-I Can’t take this bo-bouncing!” Alphys chattered, her body flailing with each bound of Undyne’s feet. The two maniacs slid into the family room, screeching to a halt when Toriel entered the room. “Oh thank goodness!” Alphys sighed, finally breaking free of Undyne’s grasp and falling to the floor with a small thud.

“How did you guys sleep?” Undyne bellowed, pumping her arms with excessive energy. “Pap, Alphys and I, slept in the garden. It was pretty comfy, for bein’ a bunch of flowers!” She sported a toothy grin and slapped Alphys and Papyrus on the backs.

“YES, THE FLOWERS WERE VERY COMFY! THOUGH I HAD TO PICK A LOT OF THEM OUT OF MY RIBS WHEN I WOKE UP!” Papyrus cheered, returning Undyne’s eccentric grin. He handed the basket over to Toriel and looked towards the kitchen. “FRISK! WHERE DID YOU AND SANS GO LAST NIGHT?” He skipped into the kitchen, towering over your small frame. “YOU WERE NOT THERE FOR EVENING STORY TIME!” He looked more disappointed than concerned. Story time was very important to him afterall.

“I uh… Had to make a quick run to the Ruins. I, I left some stuff back there. Sans just helped me get there a little faster.” you mumbled, staring down at your toes. You weren’t necessarily lying, but it was stretching the truth more than you liked. It was a little hard to explain that you were trying to see the prince before he turned into a psychotic flower again. “I didn’t want to miss breakfast by being late! Sans had a shortcut!” A pained smile spread across your face. Sans’ idea of a shortcut was a little more dangerous than you wanted to tell everyone but you had gotten back safely so, whatever. You could explain the broken window later if it ever came up.

“WELL, NEXT TIME YOU NEED COMPANY I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD BE HAPPY TO ASSIST YOU!! I WOULD BE MUCH BETTER COMPANY THAN MY LAZYBONES BROTHER. I COULD BRING PUZZLES!! NYEH HEH HEH!!” Papyrus proclaimed. He patted you on the head, happy with your excuse, and left the kitchen to join the others.

“Howdy everyone! It seems you are all in high spirits this morning!” Asogore hummed. “Something smells wonderful! Tori… erm… Toriel, did you make breakfast?” He shyly smiled, glancing over to the queen.

“Frisk and I made breakfast. I figured we could eat outside and enjoy the sun before setting off down the mountain.” She looked around the room. “If we have everyone, I would like to head to the surface before the food gets cold.”

“Hmm… I think we’re missing one nerd.” Undyne groaned.

“who are we missing?” Sans stepped out from behind Asgore and waved lazily at the group, his standard smile plastered on his face. The bags under his eyes were a little more pronounced, but the lack of sleep didn’t seem to be bothering him.

“AH! THERE YOU ARE BROTHER! WE WERE LOOKING FOR YOU!” Papyrus barked, shaking his fist at the shorter skeleton.

“no worries. i’m here now. it just takes me a little longer to get up than the rest of you. i may be a skeleton but that doesn’t make me a _mourning_ person.” Sans joked, shrugging his shoulders.

“UGGHHHHH SANS!”

You and Toriel both snickered, trying to cover your laughter so as not to upset the younger brother further. The group packed up the breakfast and headed to the surface. The group chattered loudly through breakfast, pointing out the clouds, sun, and sky whenever one of them took a second to look around. You finally relaxed a bit after breakfast. Sleep, a good meal, and good company always fixed things.

Once the cleanup had been done, the group set course down the mountain, eagerly chatting away about meeting humans and building a new town. You took you time pointing out things and answering any questions you could about the surface, but with how many questions the group had, it was hard to keep up. Toriel suggested that everyone give you a break after your voice started to go hoarse.

The group traveled for a couple of hours, exploring the area at the mountain’s base. It was heavily forested with a few rivers and streams scattered about. You figured there would be a large body of water close by. Maybe once you found a good place to set up camp you would venture off to find it.

“It looks so different than I remember…” Toriel said, looking up at the vast forest around them. “This area used to be a large plain, with farms everywhere… It's amazing how much it has changed!” Her voice seemed chipper, clearly enjoying the peaceful trek.

“Umm…. How long ago were monsters on the surface?” You mumbled, unsure if your question would upset anyone.

Toriel glanced at Asgore curiously. It took a moment before she responded “If I recall correctly, it has been several hundred years… Is that correct?”

“Hmm… I would believe so. It was very hard to keep track of time down there, since the Ruins is the only place that really ever saw any light. Once the cavern collapsed behind us, we really had no idea how much time had passed. Anything we had for light was from the crystals we found…” Asgore sighed, unsatisfied with his own answer.

“There’s something in the clearing!” Undyne shouted. She and Papyrus ran ahead of the group to get a “tactical advantage” in case of any predators. Asgore chuckled at their antics, enjoying their adventurous spirit.

You ran to try and catch up with Papyrus and Undyne. As you reached the clearing your heart stopped. There was an entire village hidden away in a circular clearing in the woods. You looked around cautiously, treading lightly in case there were any humans.

“HUMAN! IS THIS WHERE YOU COME FROM?” Papyrus screeched, running excitedly from one building to the next and peering into the windows.

The buildings were broken down, and rotting away. Roofs were collapsed in, windows shattered. Everything looked like it had been abandoned for a few decades at least. A few stone structures stood, mostly intact. As you paced around the buildings, you were struck with a sense of familiarity, but not entirely sure why.

“It's abandoned” you confessed, feeling somewhat relieved at the lack of humans. You worried what you would do if there were people in this settlement and you suddenly visited by a large group of monsters roaming about.

“well, this looks like a good place to set up shop” Sans chuckled. “if no one’s here, no sense in letting the buildings go to waste” He winked at you, his smile widening. Sans wanted anything to get out of doing more work. You rolled your eyes and giggled at his laziness.

Toriel nodded and placed her belongings down. “It seems fitting for the time being. If we fix it up it should be a good start for getting everyone up to the surface.” Leave it to her to immediately start thinking of her citizens.  
“How long do you think it would take to make this place habitable?” You wondered. It seemed like a lot of work, even if the buildings were mostly intact.

“A few days I think” She hummed. She smiled happily as she inspected the buildings. “It will take a lot of magic but it shouldn’t be an issue.” She wandered over to the largest house, a beautiful multi level cabin. It was giant in comparison to the rest of the houses. She jostled the handle of the front door and crept in.

The house was well kept on the inside, albeit covered in mass amounts of dust. The sight slightly bothered Toriel, but she remained calm nonetheless. You followed quietly after her, grabbing onto the side of her dress worriedly. She chuckled softly as the two of you went upstairs. The inside of the house seemed quite modern despite the worn exterior. There were plenty of bedrooms, a large kitchen and dining room, the works. After the two of you explored the house, you went back outside to gather the others. Undyne and Papyrus were jumping on top of buildings, looking into them through holes in the roofs.

“There’s enough beds in this one for all of us!” You hollered, running up to Sans. “It’ll be like a big sleepover!” Sans smiled lazily at you and looked over at Toriel.

“what’s the deal? we just clean this one out and rest?” Sans gestured to the house behind Toriel. “i could really use a nap, _tibia_ honest...”

“It’s a good start. At least we will have a place to rest when needed.” She smiled. She patted Sans on the shoulder and left to go talk to Asgore.

Sans wandered over to the house with you close behind. With a flick of his wrist the windows of the house all opened. You cheered, enjoying his flaunting of magical power. “Close your eyes and hold your breath, kid.” he mused. You did as he said and crouched on the floor, not sure where this was heading. Sans stood over you and placed a stern grip on your shoulder. In a bright flash of cerulean light the house was engulfed in a swirling wind that almost knocked you over. After a few seconds the wind subsided and you were left gasping and choking on the ground.

“oh man kid, i didn’t mean to knock the _wind_ outta ya!” He smirked. He offered you a hand and pulled you to your feet. “good enough for me.” He shrugged, giving you a small wink. You looked up at him and realized your hair was a complete mess, standing straight up. You both broke out into a fit of laughter. Papyrus ran into the house, a wide grin on his face.

“SANS!! GREAT JOB! SEE? YOU CAN REALLY DO IT IF YOU TRY!” He jested, giving his brother a slight noogie.

“eh, but now I’m spent bro.” Sans yawned “these lazybones are off for a nap.” He shuffled over to the stairs before teleporting in a blink, with a quick wave goodbye.

“SANS! THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BE LAZY!” Papyrus hollered up the stairs. Toriel came up from behind him and gave him a small pat on the back.

“He did stay up late helping Frisk.” She cooed, “Let’s let him have this one. My child, you can take a nap too, if needed. I know you both must be very tired from your late night adventure.” She looked over to you and gave a soft smile. You nodded and gave her a hug. “Make sure he’s alright, won't you? We don’t want him to overexert himself, even if he’s a… lazybones.” She giggled gently. She gave you a soft kiss on the top of your head and sent you upstairs to find Sans.

When you found him in one of the bedrooms he was laying on top of the bed, eyes closed. “Waddup, kiddo?” He opened one of his eyes to look at you, a tired smile on his face. “You worried bout me?” He chuckled slightly and shifted over in the bed. “There’s room for two if you wanna hop in.” He patted the space next to him before resting both his arms behind his head, stretching a bit.

You hopped into bed and got under the covers. They were warm from Sans laying on them, it was nice. You sighed and relaxed, staring up at the ceiling. “Are we good?” You asked, not looking over at the skeleton.

“how so?”

“I mean… Are we okay?” You mumbled, pulling the sheets up over your face. Sans rolled over slightly and pulled the sheet down so he could see your eyes. You were staring at him worriedly.

“ah” He rolled onto his back and settled. “we’re both here aren’t we? everyone made it safe. right?” He gave you a soft smile.

“I guess…”

“hey!” He snapped. “if you’re talking about what happened in the ruins, don’t worry so much.” He brushed your hair out of your eyes. He poked you on the nose and chuckled slightly, his face relaxing a little more. “i might not look like it, but i’d like to consider myself pretty reliable when it comes to takin’ care of people… we’ll figure it out.” He yawed and closed his eyes. “what are friends for?”

“Friends? We’re friends?” you sat up, slightly surprised.

“course kiddo. i know there was a lot of stuff that went down but… i’m willing to let it go if you are.”

“Really?” You whimpered, your eyes watering. You never thought Sans would actually forgive you for the other timelines, for being weak enough to let Chara take control. It was nice to know that he was ready to forgive and forget. That’s exactly what you both wanted, to move on.

“yep, that is,” He paused dramatically. “if you can take my _tear_ -able puns.”

“SANS!” You groaned, a few tears falling from your face. “You already used that one!”

“made you laugh though!” He yawned trying to muffled his laughter.

“Yeah, I guess I can let it slide.” You rolled your eyes and snuggled down in the covers.

Sleeping next to Sans wasn’t something you wanted to make a habit of, but it was nice to have someone next to you when you woke. He was grounding, a reminder that everything was, in fact, real. An instant way of knowing that you hadn’t somehow managed to RESET and screw everything up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this was kind of filler, setting up the beginning of the town and preparing to move out the monsters. But its nice to see everyone actually relax a little bit! Right?
> 
> Next chapter will be much more plot oriented and longer!! Promise. :)


	3. Morning Dew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans decided to go on his own adventure, leaving Frisk to wake up and welcome the new monsters. Maybe its not the best to wander off all by yourself?

Morning came earlier than expected. You managed to sleep like a rock despite the weird situation you found yourself in before bed. It took you a few moments to register where you were. _Ah yes, the village we found…_  Your ears were greeted with giggles and construction noises. There was the faint, familiar feeling of magic static that tickled across your skin. Toriel had said that she would be bringing some more monsters to the surface in the morning. You groaned at the idea of trying to be personable so early. You signed up for this, “Monster Ambassador” no getting out of it because you were a little extra sleepy this morning.

You patted the area to your side. _No Sans_ … _or rather sans Sans._ You chuckled to yourself, he would get a kick out of it. You reminded yourself to tell him later, after you remembered how to person.  You rubbed your eyes and wandered to the bathroom down the hall. After struggling with the sink handles for a few moments you sighed, one snapped at your touch and the other was completely useless.

“No running water... gross.” You rubbed the sleep from your eyes and looked at your reflection in the cracked mirror in front of you. It managed to retain some of the dust even after Sans’s little wind trick. Using your sleeve, you buffed out the mirror, being careful not to touch any of the cracked parts.  Despite all that had happened over the past few days, it was still you. You were still the same Frisk that started the adventure. No, that wasn’t right, you were a little more determined and mature. Well, at least _you_ thought you were. You began to look over your tattered clothes and body. You really needed a new sweater, not to mention a hair brush. Goodness your hair was a wicked mess and… What… The…

“SANS!!” You roared, running down the stairs. Whatever sleepiness that stuck with you was immediately thrown out the window in a fury of embarrassment and frustration. You busted through the front door into the front yard, breathing heavily.

“My child, what is wrong?” Toriel questioned, running up to you. “Oh,” she giggled. “I see” She covered her mouth with her paw, trying her best to muffle her laughter.

Written in sloppy handwriting on your face were the words _AMBASSADOR SLEEPYHEAD._ Sans took the opportunity to write it on your face in marker while you were sleeping comfortably last night. _That jerk!_ You’d get him back for this later.

“Come here my child, let’s try to get that off.” She pulled a small handkerchief from her pocket and rubbed it gently on your face. She was delicate enough to not hurt your face but the bright red stuck very well to your skin and stained your cheeks and forehead. Oh well, at least it wasn’t permanent marker.

“Thanks, mom.” You sighed, still slightly frustrated. You rubbed your cheeks a few more times, just to be sure all the writing was gone. You huffed a few times, still slightly irritated.

“Would you like some food? We have plenty of pastries and other food that was brought up this morning.” Toriel chirped. She was the best at reading your mind, err, stomach. You could feel your empty stomach grumble in a desperate plea.

She gently nudged you down a small path, smiling brightly as she pointed out some of the buildings and her plans for them.

As you looked around you saw that almost all of the monsters from Snowdin and Hotland were wandering around the area. They had all gotten up early and made the journey to the surface while you had been sleeping. The village seemed to be in much better condition than when you found it yesterday afternoon. Each monster seemed to be helping in his or her own way to clean and repair the buildings. It was starting to look like an actual town as compared to the disheveled and dilapidated mass of abandoned homes. Having magic was so handy, even for things like cleaning.  _How nice…_

Toriel led you to one of the stone buildings. After inspection you identified it as some sort of church, though you didn’t recognize any of the markings or writings as a religion you knew of. Huh. Inside was a collection of tables and chairs assembled from several of the houses nearby. There was a large collection of monster food placed in the middle of the tables with a random assortment of plates and silverware around them. Time to dig in!

It wasn’t often that you got to gorge yourself on free food. Since everyone was willing to share and had all probably eaten their fill, you grabbed a plate and loaded it up with pastries. Toriel grabbed your shoulder after you had piled almost 30 pastries on your plate. “I think that’s quite enough, my child.” she chided. She gently picked your plate up, dumping the majority of them back into the large pile. “We need to share, at least for a few days before we can get some crops growing.” She handed the plate back to you with a measly 3 pastries on it. You grumbled softly and found a spot to sit down.

Toriel plopped down next to you, happily munching on her own treat. She glanced over you while you ate quietly. “Oh! I guess we should try to find some humans soon. After all, I don’t want you to become malnourished from all of this monster food you’ve been eating!” You looked at her in confusion.

“Why?” You took a couple more bites of the food, struggling to choke it down with the growing tightness in your throat. You didn’t like where the conversation was headed.

“I just want to make sure that you won’t get sick from our food, sweetie.” She rubbed your back tenderly.

“I’ve been fine so far.” You fiddled with the flakey crust between your fingers. “I have never gotten sick from your food, or anyone else’s for that matter.”

“But Frisk, I’m just trying to make sure-“

“We don’t need the other humans! I’m fine with you!” You shot Toriel a hurt look. Without breaking eye contact, you proceeded to shove the last two crispy treats in your mouth before chocking slightly.  Toriel patted your back, her brow furrowed and stern. You knew she was just worried for you, but it sounded like an excuse to meet other humans. You weren’t sure how that would go, and you were looking to avoid that as long as possible.

“For now, do me a favor and eat a little more slowly.” She smiled softly and let out a small sigh. “Since you seem to be done fine, we don’t have to hurry with that errand. I just want to make sure I’m taking good care of you.” She nuzzled your head and started heading out the door. “Take it easy for the day, my child. We have more than enough help for the time being. Why don’t you take a few people and look around the area?”

You perked up with that comment, a grin spreading across your face. “Okay! Maybe we can find a place for the water monsters! There might even be a lake nearby!” You jumped from the chair and hugged Toriel. With your vigor restored, you ran out the door, waving a quick goodbye to Toriel. You would call her if you needed anything.

You grabbed your bag from the house and trotted off from the village. It was a nice day out and you were going to make sure you got to enjoy the sun as much as you could. After getting a good distance away from the village you paused. The surrounding area was quiet, it looked like no one was around. _Good!_

With a bit of concentration, you clamped your hands together and popped them apart. A small spark of magic fluttered between your hands.  Suddenly, a small, orange rectangle fizzled into existence. You cautiously, looked around again before glancing back down at your creation. You touched it gingerly before it hissed and zapped away. You sighed happily. You weren’t sure you could summon them here, but it was nice to know you still had some sort of backup plan in case of emergencies.

You thought it best to keep it a secret from everyone for a while, a long while. Sans and the others didn't need to worry about you summoning SAVE and RESET points when you were just being cautious... You could keep them safe. Afterall, you had been controlling these powers for longer than you could remember...

GAME SAVED.

* * *

Sans’ eye flashed and flickered making a few uncomfortable popping noises. He covered it with his hand and groaned, wincing slightly from the irregular magic frequency. After a few seconds, the feeling passed. Part of him wondered if it was from him being a little overzealous with his magic use or maybe you were… _nah, the kid should be fine…_

The air around Mt. Ebott was so fresh and clean. Sans couldn’t get enough of it. He was too anxious, too excited, too, well, EVERYTHING to sleep too long. Even for a _lazybones_ like him, being on the surface was too marvelous to spend the days away napping.

He left late in the evening while everyone was asleep. He used a few ‘shortcuts’ to find a good clearing by a lake and pulled out his telescope and some of the old astronomy maps he found from the dump and set to mapping the mesmerizing night sky. The majority of the night was spent picking out constellations and stumbling upon a few planets. After comparing the position of some of the stars and planets he found, Sans determined it was the human’s season of ‘summer’ and that you must be somewhere late in the month of ‘June’. He giggled at the thought of seasons and changing weather patterns. His cheeks flushed a bright blue with pure glee as he flipped through more pages, reading and rereading passages about stars, and planets, and constellations.

There was Decapoda, Acubens… Even for it being his first time star gazing, he picked up the skill quite quickly. He traced the lines delicately with his fingers.

“cancer!” Sans chuckled. “found you, you little zodiac thing.” He closed the book in front of him and smiled, his eyes crinkled slightly with the bright grin. He made a mental note to ask you about the ‘zodiac’ stuff later. It was only briefly mentioned in his astronomy charts, but seemed very interesting. Well, to Sans, anything relating to the night sky seemed amazing and astounding to him. It had been so long since he genuinely had this much fun, this much time to not worry. He landed in the soft grass with a thud and closed his eyes. For a brief moment in time, his mind was clear. He was wholeheartedly at peace.  Sleep took him as a few stray tears fell from Sans’ relaxed, closed eyes.

San rays danced across his skull, waking him with their gentle caress of warmth. He sat up, still slightly groggy, but pleased with his predicament. After brushing off a few stray blades of grass he stood up and stretched, feeling damp? His phalanges glazed the top of his skull. o _dd, why is it wet?_  Looking around the grassy plain, Sans found that almost everything was coated in a fine mist that seemed to sparkle under the morning sunlight. _it just keep getting better up here_ he thought cheerily.  “i must’ve missed the morning rain? huh, weird.”

He zapped back to the house to drop his telescope off before heading out for the day.  After checking that everyone was still asleep, and making a few 'notes' for you, he grabbed a few bottles of ketchup and took a shortcut back out to the field. 

The grassy plain was on the outskirts of the large forest that protected the newly monster village. It was conveniently placed within walking distance of a large lake on the opposite side of Mt. Ebott. Toriel seemed to have remembered everything correctly but had gotten her orientation mixed up a bit. Sans glugged a bottle of ketchup during his calming stroll.  The surface looked even more wonderful than he imagined. The vastness of the sky, the humbling terrain… he hadn’t seen too many surface creatures yet but he was sure that those would be interesting as well. 

Sans took another sip of his ketchup. Suddenly, a horrible cracking noise spread through his skull. His eye burst with an enormous amount of magical energy, throwing him sideways. Angry blue flames danced around him, catching the nearby brush in their rampant spread. He lay there for a few seconds, trying to regain control of his eye. The world blurred and spun frantically in front of him. This hadn’t happened since… _shit, shit, shit!_

Another burst of magic spat from his eye, flipping him over onto his back. Smoke was starting to billow from the engulfed foliage. At this rate, he might end up burning down the whole damn plain. He struggled to cover his eye with his hands, magic still seeping out from between his boney fingers. In a desperate attempt to get away Sans stood up and started running in the direction of the lake he slept near.  Flames from the plain clung to his jacket and shorts. He really didn’t trust his magic right now but he needed to put the fire out. With a deep breath, clenched jaw, and a prayer, he jumped through a shortcut.

Nothing. There was nothing underneath his feet. f _uck._ With one eye, Sans peeked below him. _yep…fuck._ He landed in the lake with a large, violent splash. At least his clothes weren’t destroyed completely, but then again, he had a new problem. He was exhausted, and sinking very rapidly. He mentally sighed and tried to boost himself up. He had exhausted all of his magic. His sudden _outburst_ left him completely helpless. Sadly, skeletons were not the best swimmers. The water tends to just _run through his ‘fingers’._ This was probably not the best time for puns…. But they were quite decent he thought.

Well, at least he didn’t need to breathe? He wasn’t sure how that would work but at least he seemed to be able to handle the water well, erm, the _sinking_ well. Heh… once he landed on the bottom of the lake floor maybe he could walk home? Like that pirate movie he watched with the others during one of those random movie nights at Alphys’… But seriously, if the pressure of the water wasn’t going to kill him the fish down here might. He really needed to focus on the serious _fish-ue_ at hand. _shit… fish puns?_ Undyne would probably laugh… maybe…

A sudden lurch threw him from his thoughts. A blue aura surrounded him, elegantly cradling his body in a warm, comforting magic. It began pulling him to the surface of the deep lake. He gasped for air when he breached the surface. He didn’t need to but it felt really nice not to breathe water anymore. The magic didn’t stop pulling him. After a few minutes Sans was daintily laid on the ground in front of the plain he had half destroyed. A hooded figure stood before him, a cobalt soul hovering by their chest. With a swift movement of their gloved hand, the magic was released and the soul returned to their body, causing their knees to buckle beneath them.

“thanks for the- oh shit, are you alright there, buddy?” he crawled over to the figure, his hands trembling. He hadn’t been in this screwed up of a position since he last fought Chara and that was years ago. Well, according to timeline reset magic math it was years, but, never mind…

“How long have you been like that!?” The figure gasped, scrambling closer to him.

“what?”

“I’m fine! But what about YOU!? I mean… HOW, how long have you been in that state? Y-you’ve deteriorated s-so much… your magic is out of control! Yo-you should be dust by now!” The figure grabbed his hand, inspecting the bare bones. “Come, we need to go to my house. I can transfer some magic to you to keep you from ‘falling down’ for the time being. J-just hang on!”

“scuse’ me?” Sans snapped his hand back, a horrified look on his face. How did this person know about monster dust?

With a small burst of magic the figure flipped Sans on his back forcefully and pulled one of their gloves off. A bright blue aura surrounded a boney hand. _Another skeleton monster?_ The figure winced a bit while the magic formed a small ball in their hand. In an instant, the orb was thrust into Sans’ chest, the magic coursing through his body forcing both his pupils to radiate blue flames. He gasped, clutching his chest desperately, pushing the figure off of him before collapsing onto the scorched earth.  

_“shit…”_

 

  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aww~ Sans doesn't understand what dew is... so cute!
> 
> ahhhhh! Drama!  
> So this chapter ended up being shorter than I envisioned.  
> I probably could have elaborated on some parts a little more but we need to keep things moving! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!  
> Comments, guesses and critiques are always welcome!  
> I promise more creepy Chara in the next chapter! After all, Sans need a break to recover. ;)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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